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Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Taking a Hair Risk

Well, I did it! All pink, readers. I love it. But I have to say, I really struggled with this decision. I think that's because hair color is tied to so many other issues: self image, aging, public perception, standards of beauty, etc. I've realized from comments here and elsewhere that if you're someone who is thought of as conventionally attractive, people consider it a crime to do any sort of body modification. "But your natural hair color was so pretty!" If I had your skin, I'd never get a tattoo!" Stuff of that nature. That brings up so many questions about beauty: pink hair dye is only for people who have naturally "ugly" hair? People who we think are pretty shouldn't do anything to change their appearance? It's a weird, loaded topic.

Anyway. I did the deed Saturday night, and then I laid in bed agonizing over my decision and Googling "dyeing hair from pink back to brunette." I felt guilty for messing with a good thing.

I woke up on Sunday morning and confessed my fears to Jeff (he had been sleeping soundly next to me through all the Googling and agonizing). He said: "You shouldn't think you made a terrible decision, you should think you made a whimsical choice! You're like Mary Poppins!" Awww.

What really turned me around on the whole issue was getting up, putting on my makeup, and doing my hair in my sidecomb style (see above). Whoa, I looked hot. We went out that day to do some Christmas shopping and have lunch, and I felt awesome. I even liked how people did doubletakes at my hair.

On day two, I still loved it. Here's another instagram. It photographed more intensely in unnatural light.

As for the details: it's Special Effects Atomic Pink (bought online). I completely bleached my hair first with 40 volume bleach. That was the scariest part, watching my hair turn yellow. I like the pink, but I think next time I might mix a little Cherry Bomb dye in to skew it less magenta. (Has anyone tried this?) I will keep you all updated with the maintenance.

All in all, I'm glad I did it. I've always loved pink hair, but held back for many reasons: fear that I'm too old for this, for instance. Wanting to appear conventionally attractive is another. But isn't it better to have dyed one's hair pink and regret it, than to never do it and wish you had? (It's getting really philosophical up in here!)

Speaking of philosophy, may I finish with a My Little Pony video? Pinkie Pie is one of my beauty and life idols, and I confess that this song got me through a night of worrying too much over things like hair color. Smile, everybody!

191 comments:

Wow you are so brave to dye it yourself! And it looks fantastic on you! I understand what you mean by the ideal of 'not messing with something if it's already nice' - but why not experiment and have fun with it! That's what life is all about!

I have wanted to dye my hair pink for years but still haven't had the courage do it. Waiting until after my friend's wedding (I'm a bridesmaid) and then I might dare to try!

YAY for you!!! I'm glad that you made a decision you were comfortable with, and isn't that empowering? I see women here in Austin all the time of every age with rainbow colors. Some even use it to "cover" their greys. I'm thinking in particular of one woman I know lucky enough to get grey streaks at her temples and dyes them purple. I love your pink hair.

Atomic Pink is the best pink! Fair warning - that stuff is HARD to get out. But it sticks around better than most dyes :) Another good pink to try out (also Special Effects) is Burgundy Wine; it's a bit more purple and fades really beautifully.

As a tip, if you want to keep the color pretty, mix a little of it with your conditioner every time you wash it. It'll give you a little boost between touch-ups (and it will totally stain your hands and possibly your shower, so be careful!).

I wish I could dye my hair fun colors. I did it a lot when I was in high school, but I'm currently at a job that disapproves. Ah, someday.

I agree with Ms. LLadybird and the conditioner tip. I died a chunk of my hair a while back and did all the colors of the rainbow. Red looked AMAZING but faded the quickest. According to my stylist, the molecules in red dye are the most fragile. Blue and pink took the best/lasted the longest and I LOVED doing blue following the pink for the most fab color of plum!

Also, careful when you're dying at home. Those little dust particles that come off your flat iron (when setting the color) will stain everything they come in contact with. I am still finding dots of orange all over my bathroom after 2 years!

I died my hair pink with Special Effects Atomic Pink this weekend too! I've had a pink streak I've been maintaining for a while but it was growing out and my hair is getting long so I went for more of a ombre pink (just the bottom 4 inches).

Lisa is right that the pink lasts and fades well, but it does need touchups after 2-3 weeks and then every 4-5 so that it doesn't fade to bubblegum (unless that's what you're going for!). With your whole head pink you could just add some dye to your conditioner and use that every 2-3 shampoos to keep it bright.

ROCK ON PINK HAIR! Also, fuckyeah on the My Little Ponies. I tell my husband that my pony name is Princess Sparkle Butt (even if jeans with sparkly detailing don't come in my size without being super-unflattering). I hope I'm less nosy than Pinky Pie :)

You look awesome, it really suits you!I had blue hair for some years; a really good strong blue (at least when it was freshly dyed), and used to love the looks I got, particularly from small children. The upkeep was a nuisance so I'm a more sedate red-purple now, but I still kind of miss it.

It all depends. There's no right and wrong. Personally I'm going through a hair hysteria of sorts - my hair is naturally black or very dark brown, and I'd started dying it in the same color a while ago because of increasing white hairs (damn them!). It had always been so healthy, thick, wavy and lovely, and now it looks all frizzy and broken. So I wouldn't think of doing anything to it! It's bad enough already. On the other hand, that's just crazy ol' me who wants to hang on to my past hair...

Have fun with pink, you look beautiful either way. Just be careful when redye-ing dyed hair - it can be disastrous. Best to grow it back out when you've had enough of pink. And use special hair masks and ampules and such for dyed hair so it doesn't dry out and start breaking.

For last year's office Halloween party, I sprayed my hair pink and wore a toga to go as Pig Latin. Took forever for the pink to fade out (the can warned against using it on blonde hair but said nothing about gray!). I'm a middle-aged mom working an office job, so I'm perfectly happy with my salt-and-pepper hair, but the pink was kind of fun while it lasted. Enjoy!

I love it! I've wanted to do pink tips forever now, but I work at a conservative non-profit and don't think they would approve of it. It's nice to see how the tips would look curled (I have curly hair), and I'm glad you did it!

The pink is absolutely beautiful! It is better to do fun things now rather than sit around in the old folks home and regret not doing them. (Although I can't think why you couldn't dye your hair pink at the old folks home.)One of my best friends was a natural strawberry blonde but she worked at a salon and changed her color every couple of months. She really had some gorgeous shades, but "cyclamen" was my favorite - just a bit darker pink than yours.

Weird, with people who are thought conventionally pretty I think people also tend to say that they can pull things like this off because it puts them in the spotlight, while the non-conventionally pretty "need" to stay out of view and not do daring and confident things. Pretty complicated either way. I love your hair! And your tattoos!

Anna, maybe I misunderstand this point but it sounds like you are saying people who are not conventionally pretty (whatever that is supposed to mean) should stay out of sight and not attract attention to themselves by doing daring or confident things. Doesn't everyone have the right to dye their hair pink regardless of what they look like? Why don't 'non-conventionally pretty' people deserve to do daring and confident things? If I consider myself 'non-conventionally pretty' do I lock myself away in my house through fear of hurting someone's eyes if they see me? Maybe I don't understand your point properly so if you can explain it further I would appreciate it.

i read it to mean that anna was referring to people, in the general sense, who say such things, not that she thinks that herself.

...as in, there are people (like my mother) who say "oh you were so pretty before you ruined yourself with loud hair dye and/or tattoos," as well as people who say "you're so pretty you can pull that off!" and then other people who say "you aren't pretty enough to pull that off" and so on. maybe i'm wrong, but i don't get the sense that anna was agreeing with that sentiment, so much as pointing out that there are people who express it.

Yes I can see that now, sorry. Why are people s consumed with how people look? im so busy all of the time I dont have time to think about what others look like. sorry again and thanks for setting me straight.

Yes, just to clarify, I don't endorse the sentiment, but sadly it's still true that people think that way sometimes, especially about women. I posted that comment in haste and didn't have time to make my point more clearly. I agree with everything Jane says above re "non-conventionally pretty people".

I've had mine red, pink, purple and blue. when i got tired of all that I just dyed it black, but because of the damaged hair and maybe poor quality of the dye, it came off leaving my hair army green. I must say that green was my favourite! :D Now I'm happily natural but it was worth experimenting.

There's never really a "good" time to do alot of things and you end up never doing alot of them. Good for you! It's only hair ffs! I am cutting my hair short in a week for the first time since birth (srsly) so I get the hair painic. If I don't like it, it will grow back. If you get sick of pink you can dye it back to dark. Have fun with it!

I love it. I did this about 4 years ago and it was a huge decision, but I never regretted it even though I was sacked from my job (shopgirl, no biggie) because I was no longer conventional, It became an extension of my personality and I still toy with going back. It's your life, your hair, and if you like it then it's what you should do, I think it looks great. I used stargazer magneta on mine x

If you want pink hair, go for it! I love it. Two years ago I cut off all my hair and a friend dyed hers hot pink to help raise money for cancer. It worked. I am going to rock lavender hair when I am a little old lady! Check out the ladies of Advanced Style, they are your granny's age and rock all kinds of fun looks. You are NEVER too old for fun or feeling good about yourself. Everyone knows creative types get to have more fun anyway-it's expected. Sanjii on Project Runway had beautiful blue hair.

i can't stand it when people comment on tatoos and piercings and color... i mean really. would you leave a comment on a sewing blog saying "i can't believe you put that dress on such a beautiful body"? really.

totally jealous of your hair. AND your ink. although my brother, who is covered, snarls at me when i call it ink.

I absolutely love it on you! I understand all of the worries as well. What Ive come to realize is that hair is for fun, you might damage it here and there paying with dye but it grows back...always. So enjoy it and if you want to dye it other color next time..do it without doubting. You can always go back to dark. Im sure you know this girl, but she might be a big inspiration for extreme hair colors..http://daintysquid.blogspot.com/

Gertie, you look beauuuutiful!!! It really suits you - especially now I know that a My Little Pony is you idol (and why not?!). You're so right about regretting the things you don't do... But I doubt you'll regret this anymore as it's so awesome!

When I was a teen I had purple streaks at the front of my hair (nineties centre parting). The boy I was dating at the time told me, "You know that's not attractive, don't you?" Far from getting offended and thinking I wasn't attractive because of bright hair, my reaction was that he clearly wasn't my type if he didn't find it interesting, so I started going out with much more interesting / unconventional chaps from then on. Life's too short for boring!

Those rules about age only exist because we accept them. I say do what makes you happy, regardless of your age. I had a great aunt who dyed her hair bright red until the day she died. Of course, she always told us it was her natural color, lol. You look beautiful!

Well you just look super damn awesome. Also: Jeff is such a great husband from the sound of it!

Fyi, (though I'm sure you have heard) Atomic Pink will NEVER leave you. lol. I dyed mine that color around maybe a year ago. Dyed it black a few months later (had to get a real job, boo) well I stripped the black out a few weeks ago and....pink was STILL there. It doesn't really seem to bleach out either.

Totally love the pink!! I can really relate to comments made about hair color. I'm a natural red head and everyone always would tell me not to cut, color or straighten my hair....really? How could I not especially now that I'm a hairdresser now?? Anyhow rock that hair you look great!

Gertie I think it's beautiful! I agree with your decision. I was always what people considered pretty and I was very conservative--no tattoos no hair color…Now I look like my grandmother…I mean really old (though my husband says I'm still pretty) and I think I should have been a bit more daring. You are so young and so pretty. Having your own style and voice is so important. Accepting yourself that's the key. I was traveling with a 16 year old family member and every time someone tried to take her picture she would hide. I told her you look so beautiful you should let people take your picture. Sometime 40 or 50 years from now you will pull open a drawer looking for an envelope and you will find that picture of yourself this summer--and you will sigh and say--hum I guess I was beautiful. That's a neat experience. My advice is is to have fun and enjoy your life each day!

I love it, though I may be biased, as I miss my pink hair. I also loved the ombre pink as well. More contrast. Either way, you are lovely and you shouldn't need to worry about others' opinions as much as you do. It's society's problem, not yours! :)

Love it! I always feel so nostalgic for my teenaged blue hair - now that I'm a middle aged soccer mom! I really want some ombré blue hair - it's not like I have the kind of job that I need to look "respectable" for, I should just do it!!

I know from whence you speak,I went from brunette to platinum blonde last year and...whew...the amount of comments and attention I got nearly drove me batty,but I realised in the end I had done it for me and I loved it so who cares what everyone else thinks....and yes,blondes DO have more fun!

Didn't read the comments so I may echo others: in life, we usually regret the things we DIDN'T do, not the things we did. When the pink hair things get old (or you do, he he) you can dye it back. It's not permanent. Hair is like makeup -- you're supposed to mix things up from time-to-time. I'm pretty conventional when it comes to my appearance, so I admire your Mary Poppins whimsy!

I love it! I had pink before too. Yes, people tends to not take you so grown up serious, which is both good and bad. But as long as you know it and tend to dress up a little to a situation that you need people to take you seriously and like a woman, that solved the problem every time.

Wow! how fabulous! I Agree, once you start styling and dressing it up it takes away a lot of the doubt. My hairdresser uses Manic Panic and creates custom colours for clients by mixing two together all the time. especially if they want a cool colour but either toned down or what have you. I used to dye my hair cotton candy pink and it would wash out really well, so no strange orange residue which you sometimes get from reds and pinks.

Love pink hair! I have had it before, and it's lots of fun. What made me get rid of it? An attention whore like myself could not handle the commotion it caused. People stopping in the street, touching me, hugging me....Ok people. I'm not a clown!

The women who are the most beautiful are the ones who don't care what others think. There is no beauty in duplication or mass multiples. There is no beauty in shame or guilt. Things are beautiful when they stand out! You are beautiful no matter what hair color you have, but you are especially beautiful now. This is feminism at it's finest!! YOU set the standard for what beauty is! Rock on with your pink haired self!!

Love this colour on you! I don't understand why people get upset *over someone elses' hair*. So long as the upkeep is spot on, go for whatever colour/style/tatt/piercing you want! I would like to do a light bright blue, but will have to research about any sort of rub-off on my linens.

I love the new look but I especially appreciate your honesty with agonising over it - I feel exactly the same and it is so good to see the book opened to this page. A really good read Gertie, and I do look forward to hearing about the maintenance

I dyed my hair blue, green and pink (at different times) while in college and I loved it. I stopped because bleaching my super dark brown hair would take forever and was starting to destroy my hair.

I would do it now, but due to my profession I don't believe it would be acceptable. Some days it is hard enough being a woman engineer (who travels to back woods facilities). I don't need people having the misconception that blue hair makes me less smart or responsible than I actually am. (Which I did deal with in college while looking for internships).

I've found a lot of changes have a 24 hour, oh god, what have I done? feeling to them. If you want to tone down the brassiness, try using Manic Panic's Virgin Snow. I started using it to keep my hair platinum. Also good is mixing some dye in with your conditioner; it keeps the colour from fading too fast.

Hair is a renewable resource, there's no reason not to have fun with it. The only reason I haven't done anything dramatic with my hair is I don't have the money or patience to maintain it so I stick to low maintenance hair with my own natural "racing stripes" (those are the silver streaks I've been accruing since my college years. )

Whats not to like. In my late 50s I had auburn hair with a bright red (and I mean bright)fringe. My sister thought it was awful, but not a day went by without someone telling me they loved it! But far more than this I loved it!! You look awesome. Enjoy it. You can soon change it. I've gone au naturel now and discovered I am a super white blond after all those years of colouring, so it did me no harm. Well done you!

I agree with WinnibriggsHouse, Well done you! I laughed when you said you were too old, you are never too old. And yes it is better to try it and regret it than wish you had. I am almost 49 and got my first tatoo at 47. I had always wanted one but when I was in my twenties no one would employ you if you had a tattoo, even if it wasn't visible. I love my tattoos and I love that people tell me they are beautiful. they do a double take at the size of them though because I am a 'mature' woman. So Ms spring chicken, enjoy your glorious hair, you look fabulous

I think you have raised lots of issues about beauty here which have messed with my mind. If you are saying people say 'People who we think are pretty shouldn't do anything to change their appearance?' are you also saying people think that people who are not pretty should change themselves to make themselves pretty? What does 'conventionally pretty' mean anyway? Aren't all people beautiful in their own way?

You know what? I really love it. I didn't think I would (my 21-year old daughter wants to do something like this and I'm afraid) but now I'm wondering.....what color is good for a 60 year old who feels whimsical?

There is no definitive "Manual of Aging" that has a chapter on when it is or is not age-appropriate to dye one's hair in delicious colors. And if there were, I'd be burning it. I'm nearly 52 with greying light brown hair. In some photos it looks almost white (depending on the light). I always told myself when I was younger that when I went gray, I was going to have some colorful fun with my hair and not worry excessively about maintaining my "natural" color. Which explains my current, custom-mixed purple hair. I work with a lot of kids at the local high school and I forget sometimes that I have something unusual going on until I hear peals of squeals behind me, usually followed by "That is so AWESOME!"

The pink looks great on you. You're an incredibly creative and artistic person and should have fun changing things up now and then, especially in how you express yourself (most people with tattoos consider themselves a canvas of sorts, right?). Plus it's far cheaper than therapy. (LOL!)

I am in the UK and seems everyone under 30 here has at least a dozen tattoos. It's just very acceptable, and probably reflects the homogenous nature of young fashion. I am at 44 about the only person I know who doesn't have or want tattoos and never dyes her hair. I spend time thinking seriously about hair dye then I go and speak to my lovely (grey haired) hairdresser friend and change my mind. Not dying my hair does come from a similar rebel feeling that made you dye yours pink. Each to their own, and you do suit this look very well.

Yeah! And hair color is really quite ephemeral in the long scope of things. Granted, I agonized over adding auburn to my brown hair. I woke up the next morning convinced I had orange hair, haha! Anyways, have fun with the pink!

It's your hair and you can do whatever you want with it. Your not hurting anyone and hopefully not yourself. What matters is what makes you happy, right?When I was in college, I dyed half my hair fire engine red. Believe me I know the horror of seeing your hair turn yellow from the bleaching, and I have dark skin (not remotely cute). I remember not being amused, but once my hair was red, I was in love.I can't dye my hair now because of work and the condition of my hair, which is why I have a slight wig addiction. I can rock a different color each day after I leave work. ;)

It takes a few days to get used to a hair color change. I always wait 5 days before changing my hair back and usually I find I end up liking it. I tend to hover around the red palette but am always changing up my formula. Sometimes more red sometimes more copper sometimes more red neutral.

If you do decide to go back to brown don't forget to use a protein filler otherwise it won't stick.

I'm honestly so glad for your blog. Which other blogger would share their hair colour concerns? In this post, as in many other posts, you share your personal truth -- and it makes it all the more powerful and real for us readers.

I love it! You look gorgeous, as always.Watch out for that maintenance though. I'm a brunette and have bleached my hair to dye it red, pink, purple, you name it, and the worst thing was the regrowth. Also, invest in a leave in hydrating treatment. All that bleach can really dry the hair out, leaving it brittle and prone to breakage.Good on you for taking the plunge. It's only hair, so don't worry about what others think. You like it, Jeff likes it, small children will exclaim 'she has pink hair' and ask their mum's if they can have pink hair too. That's all that matters.

I went through something similar to this, but with piercings. When I was 16, (a looooooooong time ago...), I decided to pierce quite a lot of things on my face and body. I was constantly accosted and asked "WHYYY? WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT TO YOURSELF!" It was bothersome, but it was also all about perception. Some people thought only of the pain of having it done, some people thought of the pain of accidentally catching them on something, and some people thought they were aesthetically pretty horrible.

They best moment I can remember is this older man who stopped me in a gas station. He stopped me politely and prefaced his question with assurances that he was not trying to be rude or mean, then told me that I was such a beautiful girl, and How could I do that to my face? I simply replied "What if THIS is what I find beautiful?" He stopped and he thought about it, and just nodded to me before he walked away. I like to think that maybe I changed his perceptions just a little bit that day. It felt good.

Bottom line: You are beautiful no matter your aesthetic choices. You may decide to be blonde tomorrow, and blue the next day, but you will have always regretted not going pink first.

Thank you for articulating every mental debate I've had w/myself over my hair. I cruise the hair color isle, place boxes next to each other that represent exactly what I want, but always leave empty handed. Will I ever get up my courage? Maybe. Maybe not. But at least I know I'm not the only one! Elliot Berman Textiles is having a Pattern Review 11th Anniversary party next Wednesday. Will you be there? I hope to get to midtown after hubby gets home for work (*someone* has to watch the kids!). I'll be in my Gertie's Winter Jumper! Leu, sewing in Washington Heights, NYC

Thanks for sharing your fears and second thoughts. i am glad you powered through them, because no matter how I (or anyone else) think it looks, a woman wearing self-confidence is SUPER HOT.I loved your intro about the society norms around hair color and tattoos. Even pretty girls wear makeup and skinny girls wear spanx. It's good to be a girl and get to experiment! Love yah, Gertie!

Way back in the 1990's I had my (naturally dark brown)hair dyed all sorts of shades (hot pink was good, but I liked purple best). I was in my late twenties and early thirties through that time and I'm so glad I indulged myself then, because now, at 48, I'm really, REALLY certain it wouldn't do a thing for me. Enjoy your youth - you look fab!

When is it that you become too old? I am 44 and have red hair (20 vol bleach and then I use a brand called Stain). I love it, having bright red hair makes me happy. I get the occasional odd remark, often from my own family, however on the whole I tend to get random people stop me and tell me how amazing my hair is. My logic it is only hair and you can always re-colour it.

I love this lovely post. Yes very whimsical. Especially with 'my little ponies.' It's the little sweet things, the enjoyment of differences in ourselves & ohers, that make us happy. Thanks for that sweet & important message Mary Poppins! ; ) This post made me feel whimsically happy & uplifted.

I think it, and you, looks fabulous! I'm glad you didn't dye it back, sometimes whimsical is the only way to go! Will you keep us updated on how you deal with your roots? I ask only because I have the same hair colour as your natural colour and I've always wanted to be a redhead but the almost black roots coming through every few weeks has always put me off (that and the bleaching!), I'm terrible at hair maintenance!

It looks SO GOOD on you!! Congrats!I've done pink twice: about the same pink you have and a bubblegum pink. I've also done cobalt blue, a silvery grey thing that resulted from the blue phase ending (lol), tons of different reds, and neon orange. My favorite is a tie between the pinks and the orange.

I really want to do light pink again but since I am studying to be a Crime Analyst, I can't :( Have to look the way the police department wants to project to the public (which I completely respect, so I won't be too sad~) One reason I wanted my art career to work was because I wasn't done colouring my hair! I see hair colouring less about beauty and more about personality and expression. Same with tattoos (I want a full back piece but the funding is nowhere near me!) I'm an introvert with a weird side and dying my super-short hair was a way to express that weird side without have to be a social butterfly.

I love getting my hair colored, but I'm not much on the wild stuff for myself. I'm high maintenance enough as is - the root maintenance on platinum blonde, hot pink, lime green, etc would drive me nuts.

Nail polish, however - love it - and I never wear any shade of pink. It is interesting that there's so many not-pinks now when there used to be only-pink when I was younger. Perhaps hair color will go the same way eventually. Purple will share the shelves with pink, green and brunette, and no one will care that much.

Beauty like yours shines from the inside, you could wear a bag on your head and still shine. My daughter did pink like yours (along with lots of other colors in series) purple looked GREAT with her skin, I bet it would work on your too. have fun and enjoy all your creative nature.Laura B

The greatest thing about hair is that it grows back and can be changed. I loved to do crazy things when I was younger. Keep taking risks as long as you feel comfortable. I am almost fifty and have just now begun to calm down. It's all about how you feel, not what others think. You can only make yourself happy.

I think it looks lovely. If you want to have pink hair and tattoos then it's your body and you can do whatever you want despite the conventions society puts upon us. It's about time people were accepted for however they look and whoever they are. You cant please some people. My mum never dyed her hair when it went grey and often gets comments and criticism from people as to why, so it's like the opposite to what you are saying really. People think you should conform whether that means staying natural if you have nice hair or covering the grey. In reality the only thing that matters is being happy with yourself and you are showing people how to do that so thank you.

(Please forgive the pun!) We're all hair today and gone tomorrow - so why not have fun with it! I think it looks great on you :) I've always hankered after a short peroxide do (a la Madonna in the Papa Don't Preach / True Blue era) but being of Chinese descent with dark brunette hair I've never dared to go there - for fear of the condition it'd leave my hair in (some younger years experiments with bleached highlights done at the salon looked great but came out very dry & brittle :(!). I wouldn't mind a fabulous collection of custom-made realistic wigs in all shades and styles though! (Father Christmas are you taking notes please LOL?!!)

Gretchen - I dyed my hair this same color almost 20 years ago - Manic Panic Magenta. I LOVED IT!!! Then I dyed it green for St Patrick's Day, and then back to brown. Later I did a 'chunked' blonde and orange. After that, I kind of chilled on weird colors. I never regretted it for a moment. It made me feel beautiful and confident.

You are beautiful no matter what you look like. You should be doing everything you can to continue feeling good about the YOU inside as well as outside. If that's pink hair, great. If it's brown hair, great. If it's vintage dresses, great. If it's sweats and a t-shirt, ROCK IT girl! Nobody else can have any impact on your choices unless you let them. Choose your influences by the ones who love you no matter what. They're the ones who's opinions matter. Yay Jeff! - All my love, no matter what, Coach Julie Mac

It looks amazing! I had blue hair for a few years, but last summer I got to hot and shaved it off. It's bright red now, because that requires less bleaching and I'm lazy.

The thing I like the best is also the thing that some people hate the most - that it immediately marks me out as different. I guess tattoos and spacers and anything 'alt' does the same. It signals right away that I am not a part of the same subculture as a lot of people. Frankly, it saves me a lot of awkward conversations. I very rarely get anything but compliments on it, but then I'm not very femme except in dress, and I'm not really super conventionally attractive. (I think I'm alright, but I'm no Disney Princess :P)

Manic Panic mixes well but it can be a bit unpredictable as to what colour you get. Might be worth doing a strand test first. Should be right if you're just sort of toning it one way or another - I've done red with a teeny bit of turquoise in for a purple and that works well.

I love it and think it is super fun. I work in a job where anything outside of the "norm" is frowned upon. I did just step out of my box and cut it all off though! Besides it is only hair, it grows back!!

You're overthinking this hair dye thing. How about "I dyed my hair pink because it's FUN and AWESOME and I LIKE IT!"

p.s. I have nice skin too, but I've been the recipient of many ignorant comments from these 'normal police' about how I'm too pale and need a tan. Tattoo artists are the only people who accept me as I am because my skin is the perfect canvas!

I think it is absolutely FANTASTIC. I had Atomic Pink for about five years and loved every moment of it (okay... except for not being able to have white towels and pillowcases.). People always forget that it's only hair. If you decide you don't like it in a few months time, you can always dye it back or cut it off. It grows back. People always make such a big deal about "unnatural" hair colours. It's not permanent. It's just hair. So have some fun with it!

I think it looks totally fantastic! Give it a few washes and the bluey magenta tone should fade out a little and not be quite so eye-bleedingly bright. Adding a little bit of a reddy/orangey dye to it next time could help counteract the blue tone that makes it so bright. Otherwise don't dye it with full strength AP. I used to do half half with conditioner and it came out a little paler and not quite so fluro.

But again, it looks FANTASTIC. Love love love it. But the important part is that you love it to. Be prepared for little girls to think you're a fairy princess though....

You look good. I used to mess about with purple when I was in my teens/twenties but never a permanent colour, I didn't want the hassle of roots. I can't say I was ever a big colour user, I was always too chicken incase I ruined my hair, products not being quite so sophisticated back then. And my Tat was done when it was still considered rather shocking to have one!

I'm proud that you took the plunge! I don't think I would have been able to keep up with the maintenance.

If you start missing brunette, check out some crazy vintage wigs. I'm eyeing a great 40's one right now, link here: http://www.annabelleswigs.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=91_1_5&products_id=230

When I dyed my hair complete purple a couple of years ago everybody thought I was absolutely insane. I know that a lot of people have problems with rude comments and stares from strangers....but honestly, I dyed my hair purple and the world just opened up to me. I don't know what it was but were so much more friendly towards me. If they stared or commented it was usually a question of where to get that color and how awesome it looks. The best was a old granny that came up to me one day and said I look fantanstic and that she loves my hair color :) doesn't really get better then that.

I think you look awesome and if it makes you feel good you will glow girl.

I miss my purple hair so so SO much...the only reason I stopped dying it is because I have extremly fragile hair and bleaching literally makes me loose half my hair. It's a constant struggle...I keep having inner battles of dying and feeling awesome....to not dying but having a healthy scalp and awesome shiny hair that actually feels nice.

Last year I got to work with makeup artist Tarina Tarantino, who also has shocking pink hair. It was interesting, because she struck me as quiet and shy and really sweet-- not exactly the personality that you'd associate with such a bold choice in hair color, but she's amazing and gorgeous and the pink is awesome. I think you made the right choice-- you'll always have this experience under your belt, and it'll be fun when you're a granny looking back at your young and crazy self.

I hate that feeling when you've plunged in and then you feel torn and regretful and then eventually convince yourself that it was all OK to begin with! Yech! But your hair looks great. And even if I didn't think it looks great, who the fuck cares, right? I am a big believer in the idea that people need to dress and style themselves to suit their comfort level and needs, not to suit what other people expect or think would look good on them. :)

I used to have a magenta streak in my hair for a long time, but when I hit my late 20s I definitely felt too old for it. I kind of liked the ombre pink roots better, but a more gradual pink ombre fade?

I think you look great with pink hair.I wish crazy colors were professionally acceptable in all fields.My friend San (http://www.san-smith.com/) does all kings of crazy colors - she has had all pink hair, too - and she does a really good job of keeping her hair looking pretty and healthy despite all of the damage that bleaching causes. She recommends a lot of the Aveda damage repair products.Honestly, when I saw your Pinkie Pie pins, at first I thought it was her, because she loves cute stuff (kawaii fashion).

I do like it. I've been thinking about going blue or burgundy, but then I couldn't donate my hair (currently half-way to making another donation). Maybe when I get too gray to donate, I'll make the plunge.

I dyed mine electric blue for Halloween. What worked for me is that I have a lot of grey in my hair with the dark brown so it looks streaked as it slowly fades away. I forget that it is still blue until I catch someone staring at my hair. I think I'll do pink next but really want it a dark, intense raspberry. :-). Oh, and I'm 52 and my Mom who saw me at Thanksgiving actually liked it.

Sorry, but I hate it. You could have on the most gorgeous dress in all the world, and nobody will notice because eyes will all go straight to the bright, pink hair. I'm a lot older, but if I were your age, I would feel the same way.I'm glad you are happy with it.That is my honest opinion.

It's very fun, and so bright! I think your natural hair looks awesome, too, but I definitely understand just dyeing it all. I've been getting the itch to do something to my hair lately, but it takes me time to work up to it. I have long side-bangs (or whatever they're called), and they're probably going to end up purple or blue sometime in the next couple of months.

Your hair looks awesome! (you always look awesome, but now you're both awesome and BRIGHT!). I love that you have matching lipstick :). When I start to worry about something I've done to my hair, I calm myself down by remembering that it's just hair, even in a very worst case scenario where it all breaks off or I have to shave my head and start fresh, it will always grow back. But don't worry, because you totally rock that pink hair! I might track down some of that hair dye brand, I currently use manic panic, but some of the colours fade rather quickly, especially blue based ones.

I would be interested to hear if you have difficulty matching some clothing to your new locks. Pink hair is my favorite of the colours I've had, but I haven't done it a second time because so many of my clothes are red and I always feel like it clashes.

I've always treated my hair as my own personal crayon box. When I was younger, it was just over my natural brown. As I got older, streaks of pink, magenta, orange, electric blue, teal, purple. In my mid to late 20s I did a full head of "Flamingo Pink". It was AWESOME. My favourite comment of my mum's was: I go up and chit chat with people with rainbow hair now. My daughter is pretty cool, so I'm thinking so are these other people! Still makes me laugh.I'm now 38 and I have large chunks of Magenta in my hair and I don't plan on stopping. My thought on it - when my hair goes completely white, it's one less step I'm going to have to pay for when I get my hair coloured! You look fantastic and I think it suits your public persona. Embrace the pink! (or purple - everything above the neck is a toy!)

I already responded but I just thought of something (probably already in the comments) about what you said on beauty and how some people think that if you are a very beautiful person you shouldn't do such expressive changes. Maybe they have an "if it isn't broken, don't fix it" mentality. "Why mess with a good thing". Sounds boring to me~

I am a hair girl who LOVES your hair. It is always a huge thing to go color your hair. My specialty is color, so hearing you doing it yourself made me cringe a little. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE buy some nice conditioner and repair your hair, and shampoo in cold water. This will cause your hair cuticle to shrink and hold the color longer. Rock that Pink for all its worth and remember "Life is too short for one hair color."

Eh, who's to say who's too old for what? I dyed my hair all pink for the month of October for breast cancer awareness (i'm an oncology nurse)2 years ago and just did a wide strip of it pink last year. It was a lot of fun, and the patients got a kick out of it. The little old ladies actually commented that they might try it themselves! It made a bunch of people smile, so I think it was totally worth it in my book. There's nothing saying you can't overdye it if it makes you nuts, but it's fun to do something a little crazy once in a while, especially when it's relatively inexpensive and doesn't hurt anyone.

I LOVE MLP Friendship is Magic!! And your hair! You look intimidatingly cool. Way to rock the style! Oh how I wish my work would let me do that to my hair. I long for a full head of purple again. le sigh...

I think it looks very natural on you, not like it's your natural hair color but that you feel comfortable in it. I'm not very experimental with hair color, but I love having short hair, and that makes some people angry, too. The last time my hair grew out semi-long (shoulder length) I put it in pin curls for one day, they looked awesome, then I went out and got a pixie cut. Most people liked it but there were some who really didn't like the fact that I'd cut my hair when it looked so beautiful the other day. Some people are just resistant to change. The thing about hair is, it's always changing, whether you like it or not! If I don't like my haircut, it will grow!

I love it! Believe me, I understand worrying that you're "too old" to do something like that. I was way too uptight when it was "age appropriate" to dye my hair a crazy color, but in my mid-30s I went purple, then blue, then pink...I got bored and went back to my natural color. Now I'm 43 and I just went all-purple again yesterday, though I had a lot of debating beforehand about whether or not it was "OK" at my age.

One thing to be aware of: you will get lots more attention with brightly colored hair. A lot of it is awesome, like the mother who told me she taught her toddler color names by checking out my hair as I walked the dog on their block. But some men will not hesitate to ask you if the carpet matches the drapes...happened way more often than I would like. Ick!

If anyone has a good reply, I would love to hear it -- I never seem to have the right bon mot for situations like that. The first time I got asked that was by the owner of a nursery where I was buying a bunch of plants -- I should have torn into him for treating a customer like that, but I froze.

Yes it looks amazing and "better to regret what you've done than not done!" Rock it! As a hairdresser, I think you did a super duper job!! I'm a bit older than you and I often think about my style choices too. I found your post thought provoking. THanks for being YOU and blogging about it! : )

You look so great with pink hair!!! It even matches your lip color. I notice that you haven't been wearing your glasses since you did your hair. Are you shelving the glasses for a while? I know I do that every now and then - wear my glasses for a few months and then go to my contacts. It's a quick and easy way to change up your look. Pink hair will do it, too. heheheh.

With my jeans and black T, I wore a dark purple wig for Halloween. I had random strangers come up to me and ask to take pictures because I looked "so amazing". That was a bit WTH? Fun, but weird.

The folks I work with tend to think of me as pretty conservative and straight laced. It's my best girlfriend that has real purple highlights, not me. But honestly, I could totally go purple all the time. ENJOY! You look fabulous. :)

Some perspective: It's startling for me to realize that I'm 59 years old. For the most part, I'm like Edith Piaf: Je ne regrette rein. One that I do have, though, is that I didn't dye my hair cobalt blue when I was young enough to get away with it. There was always a reason -- someone's wedding pictures, a temp job, a real job...dammit, it would have looked great. I think. I'll never know...until I'm really old, when I'll be able to get away with things like that again because I just won't give a damn (right now it would make me look pathetic; a badly aging 59).

You go, girl. Do it for those of us who didn't have the guts. Do it for Jayne Mansfield, because she owned that color. And do it because you look fabulous!!!

I love it!Go for Gertie! I'm sitting here with bleach in my hair and am one step away on turning my hair blue. I think every "radical" change gives you an opportunity to look at yourself from a different angle and I think that's a good thing. :)Greetings from Vienna

Gretchen, I don't know who I love more. You, for having the balls to go pink, or your husband, for having the most perfect response to your fears! That guy deserves a hug!

I've always felt that when my world seems out of control, hair color is a decision that's all mine. It's one of the only things I have absolute, complete control over. One of these days I'm going to surprise my husband with a color change "downstairs"!

I'm on the complete opposite side of this hair color coin. In my early 40's I started coloring my hair (brunette, not pink) to hide the gray. About 6 years later, when I had more 'salt' than 'pepper' I decided to stop coloring and let my hair be gray.

I've never looked back. A few friends said it would age me ~ I think differently. I get complements all the time on my salt & pepper hair color.

For me, it was about being authentic. I had gray hair and I wasn't going to pretend I didn't.

It sound like you love this color and on you it is authentic. That's the best place to be, isn't it?

Your hair looks amazing! I have coloured my hair every colour you can imagine, my favourites being turquoise and fire engine red. Double takes were common. I loved it and didn't care what anyone thought. Rock it and enjoy it!

I think your hair looks fabulous!!! And for what it's worth, I'm an overweight 41 year old who had cancer last year - and I decided to die my hair hot hot pink when it finally grew in long enough earlier this year. The only downside for me was the whole job aspect. I am a teacher by trade, although I haven't done that for 3 years (back to school to get a graduate degree, then cancer sort of took over) and when I finally felt ready to step back into the workplace, I had to worry about pink hair. Mind you, my hair was short to begin with, and it wasn't like I had the investment of "time" in long hair like you did/do, but it was still scary. And I ended up getting a part time job as a photographer (for school portraits, no less), which meant the company that I work for didn't want me to have pink hair at the schools - they didn't care, but they try to live by teacher rules of conduct, and this IS the south. So at the beginning of this semester, I wore my wig to work. I had it anyway, so it was no big deal. But I got tired of it, and tried to figure out a way around the pink hair without a scalping. I went red. :) I think your idea was a brilliant one. Kudos to you! I love reading your blog, and after I get my new boobs (it was breast cancer) and I've had them for a year, I may very well start the tattooing process. Yours are amazing, even to a "traditional" old lady from the south, and seeing them inspires me to say fuck the world's rules on what is socially acceptable. :)

Cherry Bomb is the BEST Special Effects color. It is awesome--pink enough to go with pink things, red enough to go with red things. Your hair is awesome and you go, girl. Plus, you can always grow it out anyway, so don't even worry about it! PS I love the "winter jumper" as a sheath, super glam.

Hi gertie :-) as someone mentioned on the post about your pink ombre, the very best and most long lasting pink is made by goldwell, it is a professional product called Elumen. What they didn't mention is that it is an acid color with no ammonia or peroxide-it is driven into the hair by magnetic force, so although it stains the hands and skin the way a direct dye does, it actually lasts and lasts with the added bonus of sealing up the hair cuticle and (if your hair is medium or fine in texture) making it very shiny. It's a beautiful product with a small ingredient list, but it isn't cheap and it's very worth it. The pink is so pink and so bright, Barbie pink is a good way to describe it. Enjoy your hair!

okay, clearly you've struck a nerve here. and with me, too. i've got red hair. i've never dyed it...not so much as a henna wash. shoot, i didn't even get it cut in a professional salon until i was 15 (and my dad didn't speak to me for 3 days...but that's another story). i've lived my whole life with people saying to me "DON'T EVER CUT YOUR HAIR! it's so pretty!" i'm not *allowed* to cut/dye/change my hair in any drastic way--according to outsiders. i'm kind of over it. i'm going to be 33 years old this month. i don't feel a need to dye it, let's face it--my pale skin and freckles couldn't exactly pull off many other colors. but if i want to cut it, i cut it. i've gone anywhere from almost waist length to a pixie cut in my life, and i've basically loved it all. as for the pink--i LOVE LOVE LOVE pink hair. (maybe pink goes with freckles?) you want to do it? do it! and good for ya! you may have just given me the push i need to try something i've wanted to do for a while now--a subtle ombre just on the bottom. you know--before it's totally out of style ;) not sure how it will work with the red...but meh. it's only hair.

I have a friend like you momma, and we actually do hot pink tips on her natural copper. First time she ever colored it! I wouldn't call it ombre per se, it's slightly less than that but it's gorgeous and she doesn't have to hear people telling her she shouldn't have'ruined' it :-) ps - i thought ombre was a trend, but i think it will stick around more or less

Wow. That is really REALLY pink!I'm not a big fan of pink but I have to admit that it works for you.It makes your eyes look bigger. When your hair was the same colour as your eyes they weren't as noticeable, but now that they are the darkest thing on your face they really stand out.

I LOVE IT! You look amazing :))))) I have always wanted to dye my hair pink (or some other wild colour) but have always worried about the age issue (being 40). But when I look back I remember being worried about being "too old" for certain looks when I was even as young as 24. How ridiculous it is - life is so short!

Rebecca is soooo right. Life is too short. Your pink hair is fabulous, fantastic, and really suits you. You look amazing! You can carry it off. I'm quite jealous. I had pink and blue stripes twenty years ago, and black and pink, and orange and black, and everything else under the sun. Hair should be fun. You've inspired me, I'm thinking of a deep blue now...

I used to have colorful dyed hair but I stopped a few years ago mostly because I also live in NYC and having crazy homeless people yelling at me was off putting to say the least. I'm naturally a brunette too and its economical for me to dye black because that's what my bf uses; and the high maintenance of dyeing my roots purple!

Have you ever used SPLAT before? (You can find it at Duane Reade etc) I've used the purple, blue and pink with good results without bleaching. Special Effects does have good staying power and pigment over most of the other brands though.

GAh! I love your hair! I dyed all of my hair pink for years, but now I'm on to purple. My hair dresser does a halo of purple from pravana around my head. I like to call it professional purple because I still get the color, but not all of the commitment. I'm sure you're in love with your color by now, but just so you know, that shit looks amazing on you. Also, Virgin Rose is a great color from Special Effects. Think deep purple-y magenta. Great for fall and winter when bright pink just seems too bright. Another thing, the pattern junkie was right about the gross comment. Men can be really inappropriate when it comes to hot babes with great hair.

The pink hair looks great on you. I have been wearing my hair pink for awhile now and I love it.One more little tip on making your color last longer is to wash your hair in cold water. As cold as you can stand it. Rinse it well, very well. It takes some getting use to, but it will add another month to your color. Also I use a dry shampoo in between hair washings. So I only wash my hair twice a week now, ( and you can not tell, at all) which also helps keeps the color longer. Enjoy the pink hair, you wear it well!

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